She Was Never Gone for Good
by Username1.4
Summary: The guardians have been noticing how distant Jack seems during the spring. When they confront him, they learn of his lost love: a Viking girl named Hiccup. A series of one-shots of their relationship. Happy ending, I promise! Hijack! (Fem!Hiccup x Jack). COMPLETE.
1. She Was The Love of My Life

**She was... the Love of my Life**

None of the guardians were sure exactly when they noticed, but they knew it wasn't just their imaginations. There was something wrong with Jack. But, only during spring. Every other time of the year, the guardian of fun would be just fine. It was only during the springtime when the young winter spirit would be unusually silent.

At first, Bunnymund had waved it off with a simple, 'Ah, he's just being a bloody crank because his season's over, and it's my turn.'

But eventually, even he saw that there was something wrong with the young spirit. Instead of the mischief which usually resided in Jack's eyes, during the spring, there was nothing in the icy orbs but a certain darkness and longing. It was almost like Jack was grieving… every spring.

"Come on!" Toothiana was trying to say. "There's something wrong! We have to ask him about it!"

"Why?" Bunny asked lazily, kicking his feet up while lying down on a couch in North's main room. "He's a teenager. Permanently. There's going to be times when he's moodier than usual. We'll just need to live with it,"

"I know you've noticed it, too!" Tooth said angrily, flying over to Bunny. North stomped down the stairs and asked,

"Has noticed what?"

"Tooth here's freaking out about the way our little buddy Jack acts every spring. I was just telling her that it's fine, and that we should leave him be,"

"Like how we 'left him be' for three hundred years? Bunny, whether you like it or not, Jack was still a child when he died. A child that we weren't able to protect. Now's our chance to redeem ourselves! We have to make sure he's okay!"

Bunny looked to North for support, but the large man as stroking his beard. Bunny flopped back onto the couch and groaned, knowing he had been outvoted.

* * *

Jack rode on his wind straight to North's workshop. He had seen the lights. While he really wanted to help, Jack didn't know if he could. Spring just started a few days ago. It was time for him to remember her.

He imagined her face, and how dorky she was, and he smiled to himself. He really missed her. Not just sometimes. All the time. But he had a job to do. He was a guardian. That's why he was going to North's workshop right now.

He and his fellow guardians were going to make sure that all the children on earth were safe. All Jack wanted was to make sure no child died like he did. Especially not like she did.

"What's going on?" Jack asked as soon as he flew into the large room in the middle of North's workshop.

All the guardians turned to look at him. Jack squirmed uncomfortably under their gazes. They kept staring, and Jack wondered if he had anything on his face.

Bunny rolled his eyes and tried to say something to Tooth, but she just lightly smacked his face, and that was that. She hovered in the air for a second before moving closer.

"Jack, there's a child who's very sad,"

"So… how are we going to help him?"

"Sometimes helps to talk," North offered, patting Jack roughly on the back.

"Yeah… great. But that's not really what we do, is it?" Jack looked to Sandy, asking for some help. Sandy just indicated with his pictures that he saw the girl Jack dreamt of. Jack's eyes widened, and he scattered the sand in the image away before any of the other guardians could see.

"Oh, you're bloody dense! They're talking about you, you dolt!" Bunny huffed. Jack blinked.

"What?"

"Well… you've been a guardian for twenty years now," Tooth started, and she lightly touched Jack's arm. "And we've noticed that during spring, you're not quite… yourself,"

Jack shrugged Tooth's hand off of him. Was it their business who he grieved or not? He was a guardian, just like them, but he didn't have to tell them everything, did he?

"We just want know what is matter with you," North informed.

"It'll make you feel better," Tooth said, moving closer.

"No! It'll make _you_ feel better!" Jack yelled. He didn't think he'd ever been this angry. Not when he'd woken up and found out he was all along, not when they practically forced him to be a guardian, not when she'd died.

Don't get him wrong, Jack loved being a guardian. But the job was kind of pushed onto him. He didn't think that everything with the guardians would be this pushy, though.

"Jack, you're still young, you don't fully understand-" Toothiana started, but Jack cut her off.

"Oh, I'm old enough! Old enough to be able to tell the difference between someone actually wanting to help me, and someone just trying to be nosy and get into my business! Gods, you always do this! You always try to force me to do everything! Just leave me alone!"

Jack noticed that he said 'gods.' Just like she used to. Even two hundred and fifty years later, she was influencing his life. She was personal, only his. Fun was all about sharing, and going with the flow. But she wasn't for his fun, he wanted to have her forever. He had never wanted her to leave. If he told the guardians about her, it would be like he was starting to move on, like he was leaving her behind, and Jack didn't want that.

Jacks anger spiked, and he slammed his staff on the ground. The ice that shot out of it wasn't pretty. It was cold, and dark, and dangerous. Sharp and jagged. Just like how he felt.

Jack glared at Tooth and North before half running, half flying out into the snow.

"Told you we should've left him alone," Bunny said from his spot on the couch. Tooth turned to frown at him. Bunny just shrugged and said, "What? Just saying,"

"You can't say that you aren't wondering why he's acting like this,"

"No, I can't. But, I can say that I respect him enough to give him a little privacy,"

Tooth was silent, but North rumbled from a couple of feet away,

"Still, I wonder what is matter with Jack. He is not usually like this,"

Bunny stayed silent, but sighed. There was just no getting through to those two. He looked at Sandy, and the round little man just shrugged before turning back to Tooth.

"I wonder… if it has anything to do with his memories," she wondered out loud.

"Yes, but… we have seen those, yes? Jack showed us to them years ago!" North pointed out.

"His childhood memories, maybe. But what if this isn't part of his human memories? What if he's acting like this because of his newer memories?"

"Newer memories?" Bunny hated himself for taking part in the conversation, but this was getting good. It seemed that Jack was just a spirit surrounded by mystery.

"Yes. The ones he made during his three hundred years of isolation,"

* * *

Jack mumbled angrily as Phil dropped him on the floor. He didn't even bother looking up. He knew his fellow guardians were looking down at him. He sighed out his frustration, like she used to do, and sat cross-legged on the ground.

It seemed there was no getting out of this. He liked his guardian friends, sometimes more than other times. It was at the times when they were this pushy that he wished they would just leave him alone. Their determination reminded him of her stubbornness.

He knew that Tooth only wanted to help him, and same with North. He has a feeling that Bunny was just along for the ride, trying to figure out another interesting factoid about him. And Sandy… Sandy already knew. He was probably just there to watch the guardians' reactions.

Tooth fluttered closer to Jack, and started by asking a simple, easy question. She asked what was so special about autumn.

"Why do you ask?" Jack asked.

"You seem so much happier when it's fall. Even happier than when it's winter, sometimes," Tooth explained.

Jack smiled as he thought of the season. It wasn't winter, but it was still his favorite season. It was cold, and it was windy, but it wasn't time for snow yet. So, it was still barely warm enough for isolated Viking girls to go on walks. That was how he met her.

"Autumn's my favorite season, you know," Jack said after a beat of silence. North looked surprised and asked,

"Why? Your favorite season, it should be winter, yes?"

"Don't get me wrong, winter's awesome. But autumn's definitely the best season,"

"Mind telling us why, Mate?" Bunny asked lazily. Jack didn't reply with anything sarcastic, witty, or even mildly insulting. He was too lost in his memories.

"Because autumn's the season I met the love of my life," Jack answered honestly, smiling softly as he looked at his hands they looked so empty without hers in them.

"What!" Whatever response Bunny had expected, it sure wasn't that. "Who?" The large mammal asked incredulously, as if not believing that Jack could love anyone.

Jack's smile turned sad, and his eyes darkened as he started thinking of her final hours. Of all the screams, the smell of burning flesh, of her eyes slowly dimming.

He cleared his throat and said her name, even though it was like a knife in his chest, twisting in his heart. He loved her still, but she was never coming back. He closed his eyes. He could still see her bright eyes, and innocent smile. He could still hear the warning growls of her stupid pet.

"Her name was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third," Jack could feel the tears stinging his eyes, like they did on his last night with her. Jack looked behind him. He could be up and out in a second. But… she never ran. She always stood firm and fought through her hardships. So, Jack would, too. If only to honor her. "She was…"


	2. She Was Lonelier Than I Was

**She was... Lonelier than I was**

Jack had already been flying around the world, alone, for about fifty years the first time he saw her. Even though he already had five decades of experience bringing winter to different countries and archipelagos, judging when to start winter in the northernmost islands in the Scandinavian regions was still tricky. They were always cold, but the transitioning seasons were consistently different. The Nordic elemental spirits were pretty temperamental, too. If Jack ever offended one of them, they could hold a grudge for an impressive four years, and hold back winter for weeks. Jack would have to come by every day, asking if it was alright for him to start winter, they would say no and start throwing pine cones and branches at him, and the entire situation could get very frustrating.

That year, Jack's timing had been off by a day or two. But since he would just have to come back again after 48 hours if he left, Jack decided to stick around and watch the Viking way of life.

For the most part, the tribe seemed like a tight-knit community. Everyone knew everything that was going on all the time, and there was not a single person who wasn't included in every single activity being held. Well, actually there was one.

She was a small thing, Jack noticed, compared to everyone else in her village. She didn't eat as much, and she certainly wasn't as bulky or obnoxious. Instead of being fearless in the face of danger, she ran and called for help. She made practical machines, not all of which were for fighting the dragons which plagued her island. She didn't get in fights with anyone, and mainly worked to keep the peace with everyone. In short, she wasn't stupid.

Jack was just flying around, preparing to start winter there on Berk, when he noticed her walking to the woods. Alone. Like always. He wasn't exactly sure why, but Jack followed her. Maybe he was curious. Maybe he wanted to make sure she didn't get hurt. Most likely he just didn't want to work just yet.

He saw the way she looked at the dry leaves, and the way she smiled at the patchwork of colors on the ground. Suddenly, Jack felt like he was intruding. She had never done much more than roll her eyes and say something sarcastic back at the village. Seeing her like this- so open and happy- made Jack feel like he was watching something incredibly personal. Something he shouldn't have been watching.

Just as he was about to turn away and start winter for the Berkians, the girl turned around and gasped. Jack knew that there was no way she could have seen him, so he whirled around, trying to catch a glimpse of what she had seen.

"W-who are you?" She asked. Jack blinked. No one had ever been able to see him before. He slowly turned back around and pointed to himself.

"You- you can see me?" Jack asked, feeling hope and expand in his chest. Maybe he wouldn't have to be alone anymore!

"Of course I can see you! What are you doing here?" The girl asked, looking very confused.

"My name's Jack" he introduced excitedly, "Jack Frost!"

"Oh gods!" The girl cried out as she backed away a couple of steps. "You're Jokul Frosti!"

"What? No, I just told you, my name's Jack," Jack was still wondering why it was only this Viking girl who could see him, but he didn't care who it was. He was finally talking to someone, after half a century of isolation! She could have been a troll, and Jack wouldn't have cared. He wanted to have someone to talk to. He was determined to be this girl's friend.

"My name's Hiccup," the girl said carefully. After a moment of silence, the girl- Hiccup- blinked. "You still want to talk to me?" She asked incredulously. Jack's heart went out to her. Even if everyone could see her, she was jut as invisible as he was. It was awful for Jack to just walk through people, and not be able to even have a small chat about the weather. But, for Hiccup, it was probably a whole lot worse. She could touch everyone, and they her. But no one wanted to, for whatever reason. Hiccup the Viking was the loneliest thing that Jack had ever seen, including himself.

"I don't want to just talk to you," Jack told her. "I want to be your friend."

And that's how it all started.


	3. She Was Determined

**She Was… Determined**

Berk, like all other Viking islands, was almost unreasonably cold for most of the year. And Jack was extremely thankful for that. There was no way he could have stayed on Berk for as long as he did if the weather was like the European mainland. Jack didn't want to miss a single moment with his new friend. Well, his only friend.

It was already spring, which meant that he had been on Berk for almost six months. But he knew that soon, even Berk would get too hot for him, and he would have to leave. Only for a couple of weeks, but still, he would have to leave his friend, and go back to his lonely existence, all by himself.

Jack shook his head. He didn't want to think of that right then. He was focusing on Hiccup. She was down in her Viking village, being lonely, like always. He wanted to smile at how adorable she was being: running around, asking people if they needed help, doing something even if they said they didn't want her to do anything. But, he couldn't.

Jack hadn't had any friends up until that point. Ever. He didn't know that friends weren't all fun and games. They also made you… feel for them. He felt Hiccup's pain when she was hurting and her sadness when she was feeling especially horrible. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It frightened him that someone so small could cause him all that pain. Still, if he could spend time with her, Jack would gladly accept all of her inner aching.

Jack looked down from the sky as a large girl with two red braids down her back pushed Hiccup into a rack of weapons, which set off an unfortunate series of events which ended up getting Dizzlebeard- the person Hiccup was trying to help- dumped into the freezing ocean. He leapt out of the water, and started screaming at Hiccup. Hiccup easily looked Dizzlebeard straight in the eye and smirked, saying,

"I know, good help these days. Impossible to find,"

Jack would have laughed at how purple Dizzlebeard's face was becoming- and it wasn't just because he was still soaking with the freezing ocean water. But Jack was too busy admiring his friend.

Hiccup was obviously hurt by Dizzlebeard's words. She got that dull look in her eyes, and she wasn't laughing like the dork she normally was. She was camouflaging her pain with a small fake smile, and a couple of sarcastic jokes. She was acting just like Jack. And Jack, of all people, knew just how hard it was to do that, to act like something didn't hurt. But at the end of the day, it was all an act. At the end of the day, it still hit you deep inside. At the end of the day, it was still the worst feeling in the world.

The next day Jack walked into town with Hiccup, who had gotten used to the idea that he could walk through everyone but her. Jack was shocked by the fact that she went right back to Dizzlebeard and insisted on helping him again. He was just as shocked by the fact that Dizzlebeard agreed.

Jack just shook his head. Vikings.

* * *

Jack had been confused the day Hiccup dragged him to her special cove for the first time.

He goes to create a small blizzard in America for two days, and suddenly he misses everything? He got back, and half of the village had been destroyed, Hiccup had been enrolled in dragon training, and suddenly, she didn't want to kill dragons anymore? Nothing really made sense to Jack anymore, so he had just decided to follow as quietly as he could behind Hiccup.

He stubbed his toe. Again.

"Ow! Ok, Hiccup, stop," he said, pulling her to a gentle halt, and then made her face him. She looked so… excited. He really hadn't seen her look like that unless she had perfected some weird new machine that had been particularly difficult for her to design. "What's going on?" he asked her quietly, resisting the urge to push away the lock of hair on her face.

"I can't really… explain," Hiccup said breathlessly. "I have to show you!"

Jack couldn't say no to those bright green eyes, so he found himself getting dragged through the woods, stubbing his toes at least three more times.

"Look!" She announced with a sense of awe and reverence in her voice. Jack leaned over the rock Hiccup was crouched on.

"Umm… this is a real nice cove, Hiccup," Jack said, still trying to see if there was something else Hiccup was trying to show him. "But I don't see any-" Jack turned his head to look at his pretty Viking friend, but sighed when he saw he was talking to thin air.

"Oh, Toothless!" she called from inside the cove. Jack snapped his head to look down. She was down there alright, with a basketful of fish. Were those raw fish?

_Never mind that_ Jack thought to himself, _how the Hel did she get down there so fast?_

"I've got food!"

Jack cried out as a large black dragon stalked behind Hiccup's turned back.

"Hiccup!" he called, flying down to save her.

"Hmm?" she turned to face him and failed to notice the living shadow behind her. Jack got there just a second too late. The dragon pounced on Hiccup and pinned her to the ground. Jack held his staff in front of him, one flick of the wrist away from making the world's first dragon-sicle, when he heard Hiccup's laughter. He eased up and looked down. Hiccup was… smiling at the dragon? But… but… dragons were… not good! Right?

"Hiccup, what's going on?" Jack asked. The dragon got off of Hiccup, and she introduced the two of them.

"Jack, Toothless. Toothless, Jack,"

Jack looked at 'Toothless' preparing himself to tell Hiccup that her unbelievably dangerous pet wouldn't be able to see him. But, Jack was surprised. Yeah, Hiccup did that a lot. So why should her dragon be any different?

Toothless leaned forward, straight towards Jack's chest, and he started sniffing. After an awkward couple of seconds, Toothless pulled back and snorted at Hiccup before digging into his basket of fish. Jack turned to Hiccup, who was grinning sheepishly at him.

"Don't worry, he'll like you eventually."

* * *

Jack was on the ground, watching Hiccup fly with Toothless. At first he had tried to fly with them, but it seemed like his presence in the air just hindered Toothless's concentration. For whatever reason, Jack in the air, flying by himself, always freaked Toothless out. At first, Hiccup thought it was just because Toothless hadn't seen anything remotely human in the sky before. But after the fifteenth crash, Jack volunteered to stay on the ground.

It hadn't been Hiccup to ask him to stop flying with them. But, Jack knew her. She would have never asked. She would keep flying with him until she died. That was something that just made her Hiccup. Jack couldn't name it exactly, but he found it endearing.

A couple of weeks later, Jack and Hiccup walked to the cave together, trying to stay as silent as possible. They had run into Astrid earlier in the woods, and Hiccup wanted to make sure that the older girl didn't follow them. They walked through small streams, and mud, and the densest part of the forest to get to Toothless that day.

It was a long path, and it took almost an hour more than usual to get to Toothless. For once, Jack truly wished that he was human, because Hiccup carried about fifty pounds of smelly, heavy, raw fish on her back for an hour longer than she was used to. All to be absolutely certain that her friend was safe. That was when Jack realized what that endearing quality of was. Determination.

Hiccup wasn't stubborn. Stubborn made her sound close-minded and unappealingly… Viking. She wasn't just stuck in her ways because she wanted to be. She was determined. Because she worked hard for the things she believed in. And Jack liked that about her. Almost a little too much.

**This story's going to be about ten chapters. In case ya'll wanted to count down, or know. I got four reviews, which is more than I thought this story would get. Thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews :)**


	4. She Was Shy

**She Was… Shy**

Jack smiled as he landed on the hard earth of Berk. Summer wasn't over yet, but it was cold enough for him to come back. Those few weeks that were too hot for him to be on Berk were like torture for him. Jack never knew exactly how lonely he was until he got Hiccup, then had to leave her alone for an agonizing twenty-one days. Jack strolled through the woods, wondering if Hiccup would be in her cove. Then, Jack snorted. Of course she would be. Where else would she go?

As it turned out, in those long weeks Jack was gone, Hiccup had become quite the celebrity. Hiccup was uncomfortable with it all, especially since they all loved her for something she wasn't. But, Hiccup wouldn't tell Jack why she was so popular. He would always ask, and she would sigh, and then stare at him with her beautiful green eyes, and Jack would crumble to her will and leave the issue alone. In fact, that started happening with almost everything Jack wanted to talk about. The conversations would usually end up being like this:

Jack: Hey, Hiccup! What's that?

Hiccup: It's a… little project I'm making for Gobber.

Jack: What does it do?

Hiccup: *sighs* *stares at him*

Jack: …Alright. I'll just leave you to it, then.

Jack didn't know why, exactly, but ever since he came back from his extremely reluctant summer vacation, Hiccup hadn't been as open with him as she used to be. Actually, she wasn't very open _at all. _Jack tried not to read too much into it, especially since it caused him so much heartache to think that his one friend might be starting to drift away, after only five months of friendship.

* * *

Jack watched as Hiccup laughed at something Toothless said. Yeah. _Toothless._ Her stupid dragon. The same one who didn't even speak Norse.

"How do you understand anything that he says?" Jack asked. "All I hear are roars and growls," Toothless growled at the winter spirit. Jack rolled his eyes and gestured to him, as if to say, _'see what I mean?'_ Jack placed a relaxed smirk on his face as he braced himself for the hurt which came from Hiccup's inevitable sigh.

Hiccup giggled a little and Jack's heart beat harder than usual for a couple of minutes. Hiccup started petting and scratching Toothless all over. "That's because he only roars and growls at you,"

"Well how do you know he's not just roaring and growling at _you_?" Jack asked, eager to keep the conversation going. Hiccup didn't look at him as she bit her lip.

"I listen carefully,"

"To what?"

"His unspoken words,"

Jack wasn't quite as fluent in Unspoken Words as Hiccup seemed to be, but by the tone of voice Hiccup had, he translated that she didn't want to talk anymore. Jack sighed sadly and flew away. He had been demoted. Until that point, at least Hiccup had looked at him when she wanted him to go away. Now all he got were unspoken words. As Jack looked over Berk, he wondered why Hiccup didn't want to talk to him anymore.

* * *

She had gotten more uptight around him. And _only_ him. He knew. He had seen how normal she acted around Toothless and her father.

The next time Jack saw her alone in the woods, he flew down, determined to get answers. What had happened between them? Was it something that he did? If it was, he would fix himself in a heartbeat. He didn't want to lose her. He didn't think he could handle it.

"Hiccup," Jack said, unnaturally serious. "What's going on?"

"Nothing's going on." Hiccup said in a clipped tone, still not meeting Jack's gaze. He groaned and took a step away, pulling at his white hair. Hiccup's eyes followed the movements of his hands.

"This! This is exactly what I'm talking about! You won't talk to me anymore, you won't look at me anymore... Hiccup, do you just not like me anymore? Aren't we friends? Don't friends talk to each other?" Jack stepped closer to Hiccup and took her small hands in his own. "Hiccup, just talk to me. What's wrong?"

Hiccup blushed and looked down. She took a deep breath and muttered under her breath, "Oh gods," she looked up at him, and Jack couldn't believe how happy he was to look straight into her foresty eyes again, without her wanting him to leave her alone. He tried not to think too much about how cute she looked while blushing. She was barely even his friend anymore. There was no chance that she would want anything other than friendship with him, if she even wanted _that_ anymore.

"I like someone," she forced out. Then she added quietly, while pulling her hands away from Jack's. She wasn't looking at him anymore, "But he'll never like me back,"

Jack stood there. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard something cracking a little ways away. Then he realized that that was just his heart. He felt the breath leaving his body, and he couldn't move.

When the winter spirit didn't say anything, Hiccup looked up at him with red eyes. It was then that those silent words Hiccup had been talking about made themselves heard.

_I like you. _

Hiccup… Hiccup liked him!

Jack took her soft face in his hands and looked into her eyes intensely. Her eyes widened, and Jack wondered if what he was about to do was smart. Her lips parted, and he decided that he didn't care. Jack leaned forward and captured her lips in his own, savoring the taste of some sort of sweet fruit, and _Hiccup. _

Jack didn't know how long he kissed her, but he knew that she wasn't kissing him back. Just as he was about to pull away, he felt something like he had never felt before. She was kissing him back! It was like fireworks were pounding in his chest. Jack smiled, and Hiccup wrapped her arms around his neck hesitantly. It had been a perfect autumn day.

**This chapter gave me them feels for Jack while I was writing it. I really felt bad, and now that that's done and over with, the rest of the 5 to 6 chapters are going to be them as a couple. Next chapter: he gets to see how brave she was. As always, thanks for following, favoriting, reviewing. :)**


	5. She Was Brave

**She Was… Brave**

Jack was right there next to her when Hiccup stood alone in front of her entire village, controlling the giant dragon with one hand, and calming most of her tribe with only her voice. Jack took Hiccup's other hand and squeezed, trying to give her support without distracting her.

"They're _not_ what we thought they were!" Hiccup called up to the hundreds of confused spectators who were trying to figure out what she was doing. "They won't hurt us, we just have to listen,"

Her father said something, but Jack was only paying attention to the most beautiful girl in the world. She _did_ it. Her tribe was witnessing the truth. They would be safe, and Hiccup would be happy, and everything would end up fine. At least, that's what Jack thought for about thirty seconds.

"I said _stop the fight!_" her father yelled, banging his hammer on the iron bars of the net which ensured that the dragons couldn't fly away. Hiccup saw the terror and panic in the Nightmare's eyes way before Jack. She ran away screaming, being closely pursued by the thirty foot long beast.

Jack was still for a moment, but when the dragon shot its flames towards Hiccup, Jack didn't even hesitate before sending a breeze to redirect the fire. Jack didn't know what to do. If he just froze the dragon, with the whole island of Berk watching, they would think that Hiccup was a witch. They would banish her. Or worse, execute her.

Even with all the hardships Hiccup had faced on the island, she loved it there. She was loyal to a fault. Her loyalty to Toothless was the only reason that she was even trying to change her village's entire mindset towards dragons. And, facing almost three hundred highly trained, highly strengthened, highly stubborn Vikings was not an easy feat. Hiccup was probably the bravest human being on the face of the planet to even think of doing such an impossible task.

Hiccup kept running, and Jack kept redirecting the dragon's flames, but he couldn't do it alone, and he certainly couldn't keep at it forever. One of Hiccup's friends broke into the cage to help her, and Hiccup screamed again. That was it! The next time she screamed, Jack used his fastest wind to carry the heartwrenching sound to the one creature who could help Hiccup more than anyone else. Toothless.

Less than a second later, a whistling sound filled the air, and all the Vikings tensed.

"Night Fury!" one yelled. Jack wasn't entirely sure, but he thought it was Gobber.

"Get down!" Spitelout warned right before a small but powerful blue blast ripped an enormous hole in the net. Jack was surrounded by a cloud of dust, but he didn't care. He couldn't focus on the burning of his eyes, or the dryness of his throat, or the heaviness in his lungs. He _had_ to find Hiccup, make sure she was safe.

"Hiccup!" Jack moved quickly around the pit, trying to find her. "Hiccup!"

He only found her because of her stupid lizard. Toothless was wrestling with the red dragon, and Hiccup was behind him. Jack rushed to her. He had to get her out! The Vikings were coming down, and they certainly didn't look happy. Hiccup shoved his arm off of her and ran to Toothless, who had (unsurprisingly) won the fight.

"Go!" Hiccup pushed him towards the hole in the net. "Toothless, you have to leave!" Jack went to his girlfriend and pulled her off as Toothless darted towards the new danger: Hiccup's fellow Berkians. Jack was trying to get her out, when she cried out, "Dad! Dad, no, he won't hurt you!"

Jack turned around just in time to see Toothless pouncing onto the chief.

"Hiccup, he'll listen to you," Jack said frantically. "Tell him to stop!"

"NO!" Hiccup screamed right before Toothless blasted her father to bits. The dragon looked behind him, and (quite adorably, Jack admitted) whined apologetically.

Before Hiccup had a chance to go to him, the rest of the village piled on top of her dark scaled friend. Hiccup moved to get to Toothless, but Jack held her back. When Hiccup hit him and pinched his hands, Jack forced himself to be strong. Hiccup was in enough trouble as it was. If he let her go, his brave Viking probably wouldn't live to see the next morning.

"That's my best friend," Hiccup sobbed against Jack's chest. In all the chaos of the Nightmare and the Night Fury, no one saw Hiccup, the odd little girl she always proved herself to be, crying against thin air.

* * *

Jack sat down next to her on the dock. She was staring at the open ocean in front of her. To anyone else, she would have looked defeated, but Jack knew she just needed a little push.

"Some mess, huh?" Jack grinned.

"Not right now, Jack," Hiccup sighed. The winter spirit pursed his lips before throwing his arm over her slumped shoulders and bringing her body closer to his own, wishing that he could stop her shivering, not increase it.

"Alright. Serious Mr. Frost time," Jack set his mouth and stared directly into Hiccup's eyes. "You need to say something, and I'm here to listen,"

Hiccup sighed and looked away, but after a small pause said,

"I killed him, Jack. I might not have done it when I first saw him, like a regular Viking would have, but I did it. I killed him. Why couldn't I have just ended it in the woods? It would have been easier… for everyone,"

Jack hummed. So that's why she was so down.

"I wouldn't want you to feel guilty, you know that, right Hiccup?" his gorgeous girlfriend looked up at him through her auburn fringe. "But I have to say, I see what you mean. I mean, you fed him, kept him safe, got him flying again. Dang, Hiccup. You're just a murderer in an unbelievably hot body,"

"Jack!" Hiccup whined, face heating up. At least she wasn't shivering anymore.

"Hiccup!" Jack imitated, "I'm just saying, it wasn't you who killed him. You saved him. Now, there's the real question: _w__hy_ did you save him?"

Hiccup looked back over the ocean, and Jack let her think for a minute before mumbling quietly into her hair,

"It wasn't exactly a rhetorical question, babe,"

It was a small smile, but Jack counted it as a win.

"I couldn't do it. I know I was supposed to be all… tough and emotionless, but I wouldn't. I looked in his eyes, and I saw something… not evil. He was _scared._ And I'm scared all the time. I knew exactly what he was feeling. I wouldn't be the one to make someone else afraid. Even if that someone else was a dragon,"

"Well I bet he's plenty scared right now,"

"What am I going to do?" Hiccup sighed, rubbing her temples. Jack played with a strand of her hair and suggested,

"Something stupid?"

"I already did that. I can't repeat myself, Jack. I'd get boring," Hiccup rolled her eyes while bumping Jack playfully with her shoulder.

"You could never get boring," Jack grinned. Hiccup's eyes brightened, and Jack could see the wheels turning in her brain. "What?" he asked. "What's the plan?"

"Something crazy,"

At least she was brave enough to try again.

* * *

Jack did his best to help her gather all the teens in the arena. He used frost to nip at the teens' feet, leading them all to the arena where Hiccup was waiting.

He watched from the sky as they talked for a few minutes before Hiccup taught one of her major tormentors, Snotlout, how to gain the unbreakable trust of a dragon.

Hiccup hadn't told him what her plan was, so he was just about as clueless as the other teens. When they took to the skies, all to the dragons jerked in surprise at the sight of Jack. Jack just grinned and put an index finger over his lips. Just to make sure that the dragons didn't scare the teens before they executed their plan- whatever it was- Jack sped towards the island. Maybe he could free Toothless before Hiccup got there.

* * *

If Jack knew that _this_ was the plan Hiccup was thinking of, he wouldn't have let her go through with it. He wouldn't have given her that pep talk, he wouldn't have gathered the teens for her, he wouldn't have done any of it. There was a fine line between bravery and recklessness, and Jack wasn't quite sure which side of that line Hiccup was on anymore.

Going up against a strong, war-hardened tribe of Vikings? Perfectly fine. Jack gave her his blessing, and shined a bright green light for her. Trying to kill a hulking, mountainous, _evil_ dragon, _by herself? _Not fine! Not fine at all! Jack felt like he was about to have a heart-attack. What if he lost her? It had barely been a year, but still, Hiccup was everything to Jack. Just the thought of her, up there, without him there gave Jack chills. And for the first time, Jack hated them.

The sky lit up again with Toothless's purple lightning, and Jack cringed. He wanted more than anything to be up there with her, but he couldn't. Having Jack in the air next to him always made Toothless nervous. If Jack went up there, he would probably put Hiccup in more danger than she already was.

"Come on, Hiccup," a girl mumbled next to him, and Jack looked over, surprised. It was the Viking girl that Hiccup took on an unwanted flight. She looked genuinely concerned for his girlfriend's well-being. Jack turned around and came face-to-face with Hiccup's father. He, too, was focused solely on the dark skies. Behind him was an entire village's worth of meaty men and women, who looked just as worried as the two Vikings Jack was next to.

That's when Jack realized the truth. Hiccup wasn't being reckless at all. She probably felt for these people what he felt for her. Well, she probably didn't feel as strongly towards them as he did to her, but even half of his emotions for her was a lot.

Another bright flash illuminated the sky, and a roar followed it, but Jack understood why she was putting herself in so much danger. He might not have known why she cared so much, but he understood why her emotions made her do what she was doing. It was just like when she wanted to protect Toothless, and she stood in front of the entire tribe, telling them that everything they thought was wrong. Except this time, she was trying to protect her entire tribe, her entire family. She was being brave for them. There was no way Jack could fault her for that. He could only admire her, and hope that she would live long enough for him to be able to tell her that he was in love with her.

**This story is going to be about ten chapters long, I said, right? So, I guess we're at the half-way point! Yay! Next chapter, Jack's going to see how strong Hiccup can be. Btw, is me telling y'all what the next chapter is going to be about a good thing? Or was it better when you didn't know and it was like a surprise? Thanks for following, favoriting, reviewing :)**


	6. She Was Strong

**She was… Strong**

Jack never knew how calming pacing was until Hiccup almost died. She had survived her battle with the Red Death, but at a price. She was about to fall into an black hole of heat and fire. If Toothless hadn't done what he had done, Hiccup would have died. Instead, she lost her leg.

For two weeks, Jack spent all day by Hiccup's side, not even caring that it was winter in other places in the world, and just paced. It was quite relaxing. Almost meditating. Jack thought of all the times he wished he had spent with Hiccup, all the times he had spent with Hiccup, and all the times he hoped to spend with Hiccup.

Occasionally he would place his hand on her forehead and cool her down a little, but then he would go right back to pacing. It was the only thing which kept him from going out of his mind with worry and guilt. If only he had flown up to save her. He was a _winter _spirit. He could have saved her, and she would still have her leg. He couldn't get the sight of Hiccup's bloody, mangled leg out of his mind, and it was driving him crazy. He _needed_ Hiccup to wake up, or he would never forgive himself. Jack kept pacing, but stilled when he heard something move.

Barely allowing himself the hope, Jack slowly turned his head to look at his girlfriend. She was sickly thin, unhealthily pale, and sweat clung to each individual strand of hair like a baby to its mother. She hadn't taken a bath in forever so she still kind of smelled like dried blood. Her lips were dry and cracked, and her eyes were unfocused. She was the most beautiful thing Jack had ever seen.

Not giving Hiccup a moment to slip back to unconsciousness, Jack zoomed to her side, barely able to contain his joy. He actually got there before Toothless, which he was pretty proud of, considering the fact that the stupid reptile could actually fly faster than Jack's winds sometimes.

"J-Jack?" Hiccup croaked. Jack pulled back almost centimeter, only to smile at her and smooth her hair back. He was about to say something when a low growling rumbled behind them. Jack looked behind him. Of course.

"What?" he asked indignantly. "_I_ missed her more, she's _my_ girlfriend, _my_ turn first. Wait in line, you wannabe dinosaur,"

The overgrown lizard hissed, and Jack grudgingly backed up, giving the stupid animal time with _his_ girlfriend.

"Toothless?" Hiccup questioned as he licked the fatigue right out of her. She smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm happy to see you too, sweetie,"

Toothless kept licking and getting more excited until he accidentally stepped on Hiccup's stomach. Hiccup sat up, clutching her stomach in pain and groaned, while Jack pulled Toothless off of her and said,

"Ok, that's enough. Go outside,"

Toothless decided almost instantly that he _wasn't_ going to do that, and instead started jumping around Hiccup's house.

"I'm in my house," Hiccup realized. Jack turned and smiled.

"Yeah, you were asleep for the trip back,"

"_Toothless_ is in my house,"

"Yeah. A, uh… a lot of things have changed," Jack cleared his throat and hoped that Hiccup didn't notice his voice crack.

"Jack? What's wrong?" Of course she did.

Jack looked at the floor and started pacing again. When he paced, he almost felt like it wasn't his fault that his girlfriend only had three limbs.

"Jack, tell-" Hiccup stopped. Worried, Jack looked over and guilt clouded his face. She had been trying to stand up. She saw.

"You- you were going to die. Toothless saved you,"

"Well wasn't that nice of him," Hiccup rolled her eyes and smiled. "I mean, the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself? Saving little ol' me? I'm touched, really,"

Jack smiled and couldn't believe he had someone as amazing as Hiccup in his life. She had just lost her leg, and before she did anything else, she initiated Mission: Frost Feel Fine.

"Well, it certainly is better than dying, right?"

"Only just," Hiccup teased. "I do have a boyfriend here, and I know he would be _absolutely devastated_ if I left without saying goodbye,"

"Crushed," Jack agreed.

The two continued bantering, but Jack's heart wasn't entirely into it. He just couldn't get over how completely Hiccup-like it was of her to act like nothing affected her. Before Toothless, before dragon training, before Jack, even, Hiccup had always been the outcast. Alone. Jack knew first-hand how hard it was to be without contact of any sort. It almost broke him on the inside. But Hiccup was different.

The harder life pushed her, the stronger she got. That was not a learnable quality. Hiccup was just naturally brilliant. Jack grinned and kissed Hiccup on the mouth, feeling for himself that she was alive and well. She was all there. His strong little Viking, who could never be broken.

**So I felt inspired. Sue me. This one is more serious. I won't be saying what the next chapter will be, but it'll be a little more sad. For me at least. Like, I'll try to make it cute, but it'll have a not-so-great ending. Don't worry! The story will have a happy ending! I promise! I'm not a very good angsty writer! I would have to make it happy at the end! reviews are awesome, I love them, and so are follows and favorites :)**


	7. She Was Oblivious

**She was…Oblivious**

Jack growled as Dungheap or whatever his name was made Hiccup laugh. It wasn't that Jack didn't love to hear Hiccup laugh, because he did. Her voice was his favorite sound in the world, and he loved the way her eyes brightened while she clutched her stomach and gasped because she was laughing too hard. No, Jack just didn't like the fact that _Dungheap_ was making _his girlfriend_ laugh.

And Hiccup, naïve little Hiccup, didn't even tell him to go away, or to leave her alone. She probably thought that he was being friendly.

Jack smiled ruefully at the sight in front of him. Hiccup, with her beautiful auburn hair and mystical green eyes, was coming out of the forge, Toothless at her side, Dungheap carrying a heavy load of metal or something, probably trying to show off his muscles, and making her laugh. Dungheap set the package down and stood up. Toothless looked at Jack and grinned, almost like he was mocking the jealous spirit.

_Stupid lizard,_ Jack thought bitterly. _Good for nothing reptile_. Jack would have trusted Toothless of all people- or dragons- to keep Hiccup away from situations like that. Unfortunately, it just amused the animal, and Jack was forced to invisibly watch boys flirt with Hiccup.

Jack didn't know why he expected anything different to have happened after Hiccup woke up. She wasn't an outcast anymore. Actually, she was a hero, she was still as friendly and loveable as ever, and (obviously) she was still drop-dead gorgeous. For the past three weeks, Jack had lived in almost constant jealousy as he watched his now popular girlfriend parade around her village being pined for by a herd of love struck Viking boys.

There were even a couple of _boys_ (and Jack said boys, because none of them were men. Not really) who actually had the audacity to trek up to Chief Stoic's house and ask for Hiccup's hand in marriage! Marriage! After they ignored and mistreated her for years, they thought they deserved to spend the rest of their lives with her? Good thing for Jack the chief would always glare at the _boys_ until they ran away with a new stain in their pants for their mothers to wash out for them.

Jack felt his face go red as Dungheap reached out and tucked a strand of Hiccup's silky hair behind her ear before leaning in. Hiccup, luckily, wasn't completely clueless, and she turned away. In doing so, she saw her boyfriend leaning up against the blacksmith's, staff in hand, eyes glaring holes into the boy with her.

Jack saw her make an excuse to leave, and discreetly signal to him to follow her. So, he did, still upset about Dungheap. And Lardfest. And Gargletook. Hiccup certainly was popular.

Jack knew where Hiccup was headed, so he just flew to the cove and sat on a rock, trying to calm himself down before talking to her.

"Jack!" Hiccup called out excitedly as she skidded down to the floor of the cove. "Jack, I haven't seen you in gods know how long!"

Hiccup ran up to Jack, and gave him a big hug. Jack tried his hardest not to hug back, to stay firm in his resolve to be irritated, but the warmth Hiccup's hugs gave was the only warmth Jack could stand. But, when Hiccup stepped away from him, Jack noticed the flower in her hair. And suddenly, all those negative emotions the fun-loving spirit wasn't used to feeling bubbled back to the surface.

"Yeah? Well I've seen plenty of you. And for some reason, you're always hanging out with Dungheap,"

"Dungheap? Do you mean Dargletook?"

"Well, whatever his name is!" Jack exclaimed. "You're hanging out with him _way_ too much!"

"He's my friend, Jack. Don't friends spend time together?"

"Not that much time! And Dungheap is not good friend material!"

"It's Dargletook!" Hiccup took a deep breath before crossing her arms. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Toothless silently creep out of the cove. Smart devil spawn.

"I don't see how that's much better than 'Dungheap' anyway!" Jack cried.

"Jack, why are you acting like this?" Hiccup asked in an overly-emphasized steady voice, obviously trying to remain calm.

"Well it just seems that you're _so _much happier with everyone else, you don't even seem to want to be with me anymore!" Jack cried, stepped back from Hiccup and moving closer to the lake. Hiccup stayed where she was for a moment before following him a couple of feet. "Before all this," Jack raved, running his hands through his hair and pacing in front of Hiccup, "You used to spend time with me because no one else would. Now you have the entire village wrapped around your little finger. Do you even _need _me as a boyfriend anymore?"

"Need you?" Hiccup asked softly. "Is that why you were with me? Because I was a sad, pathetic little wannabe Viking with no friends? Because I needed someone, and you were the only person I could get?"

Jack stopped moving and turned to look at Hiccup, but she wasn't looking at him. Jack wasn't sure exactly where she was going with this, but his stomach was filled with dread. Whatever was about to happen, he was sure that neither he nor Hiccup was going to be happy.

"Hic, listen, all I'm trying to say is-"

"Well, you're wrong," Hiccup acted like she hadn't even heard Jack, "I wasn't with you because I _needed_ you, I was with you because I _wanted_ you. I guess you didn't want me. My mistake for thinking that. I'll let you go now, Jack,"

"Hiccup, please," Jack tried to plead, scared at her words, but she wouldn't meet his gaze. Her voice was hard when she said,

"Leave, Jack,"

And Jack didn't need to be fluent in Hiccup's Unspoken Words to know that she had just broken up with him.

Jack had always known that Hiccup was smart. She saw things before Jack even realized they were there, and solved problems that he didn't even know existed. She figured out that dragons didn't need to be killed, and she figured out how to get the deadliest creature on the face of the planet to become a cute, gummy-smiling, house pet. So, for such a brilliant young woman, Jack couldn't for the life of him understand how she didn't realize that he was jealous. She was always talking about listening to Toothless's unspoken words, but what about his? With machines and dragons, no question: Hiccup was a genius. With people? Hiccup was about as oblivious as a person could get.

**Probably going to be eleven chapters, which KILLS me, but that's how it's going to work. Next chapter probably isn't what any of you are going to expect, but I hope you'll like it. Favorite, follow, reviews are awesome. :)**


	8. She Was Stubborn

**She was…Stubborn**

In all honesty, Jack never tried too hard to stay away from Berk. He had one connection to the people of earth. Hiccup. He loved her. He loved her more than he even thought that he could love anything or anyone. And at first that had scared him. Now, it just made him feel like a creepy stalker.

He loved her. He wanted to be around her and hug her and kiss her. He wanted to look at her and just be around her. But Hiccup had broken up with him. And even though she acted angry every time he came around to try to apologize, Jack was sure that she missed him, too. And he wasn't just being arrogant. From the skies, Jack had seen the way the normally energetic and bubbly Hiccup just moped around her tribe.

She would wake up in the morning, go to the Mead Hall, the forge, hang out in the cove for the rest of the day with Toothless, and then go back home. When Jack would be certain that she was asleep, he would sneak into her bedroom. He wouldn't do anything scary, or weird. Well, nothing dangerously weird. He would sit by her side and just… stroke her hair while watching her peaceful face. Most nights he would also talk to her, even though she couldn't talk back.

Toothless would always growl at him during his nightly visits, but Jack would shush the large mass of fish and slobber, telling him that he was going to wake Hiccup.

"You know," Jack sighed to the sleeping form of Hiccup one night. "I've never really thought of you as a Viking before. I don't think it was only because you were always so distant from the rest of your village. It was 'cause you're just so… _different_ from the rest of them,"

A growling came from a corner in Hiccup's room, and Jack glared in that general direction until the loud noise ceased. Jack continued like nothing had happened,

"They're so violent, and you're all about keeping the peace. I might have to add a little more ice to their crops this year, just to keep them in shape, but you need all the extra food you can get.

"But… there are ways you're the same. I've never really thought of you as 'stubborn' before, but now… Hiccup, you're just about the _most_ stubborn Viking I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. And please," Jack begged to her curled up, sleeping form, "Believe me when I say it's a pleasure knowing you. Not just a pleasure, but I don't have a thesaurus with me to find a better word. Just… I love you,"

Jack blinked. He had thought those words before, plenty of times. Never had he said them out loud, though. Jack smiled sadly. The first time he told Hiccup that he loves her, and she's not even awake to respond. Jack wondered idly if she would have slapped him (No, to un-Hiccup-like), or said it back. Maybe she would have ran away, or written him a note about how she didn't feel the same way? Jack liked the thought of Hiccup saying it back, though.

For the rest of the night, he stayed silent, slowly running his fingers through Hiccup's silky hair. Jack sighed as he realized that there was no way Hiccup was going to go back to him without him begging for her to come back. And honestly, Jack had no problem with that.

He had just told her, and it's not like she heard him, but he still meant it. He loved her. All of her. He loved her inventive side, her curious side. He loved her Viking side. And so, he loved her stubbornness. When she didn't change her mind because she had enough pride and self respect to not give in? Yeah. He loved that. Because that was a part of Hiccup, and even Stubborn Hiccup was a woman Jack loved.

**Three more chapters! It'll be cute and happy at the end, I promise! Thanks for all the follows, favorites, and reviews :)**


	9. She Was Forgiving

**She was…Forgiving**

Jack just sat in the cove until Hiccup showed up. He knew that she was going to end up coming sometime, and for once, he wasn't really in the mood to mess with the Easter kangaroo, or whatever it was. So, Jack just sat on a rock and waited for Hiccup to show up. And if seeing her meant seeing Toothless, then oh well. Jack could deal with that. As long as he had Hiccup, Jack could deal with anything.

When Hiccup showed up, earlier than usual, Jack noted idly, he immediately flew to her. Before she could sigh and tell him to go away, Jack grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a hug. She shivered slightly, but Jack could feel her warmth.

"Hiccup," Jack rushed out, "Before you say anything… I'm sorry,"

"Jack," Hiccup tried to say, but Jack cut her off.

"No, Hiccup. I normally really like listening to your thoughts and ideas, but not right now," Jack pulled away a little and looked Hiccup in the eye. He cupped her face with one of his hands and rested his forehead on hers. "Hiccup, I wasn't with you out of _pity._ I was with you because I really, _really_ liked you. And I still do. Please, Hiccup, _please,_" Jack said that he wasn't above begging for her, and he wasn't. "I want you back,"

Jack brushed a strand of hair out of Hiccup's face and looked into her eyes hopefully. Hiccup was already smiling.

"Jack," she said softly, "I know. I do. And I forgive you," she pulled Jack into a hug, and even though he really wanted a kiss, Jack had a feeling Hiccup wanted to say a little more. She mumbled into his shoulder, "I was awake when you were in my room last night. I heard all that stuff you said,"

Jack froze. She was? Did that mean she heard…

"And I heard you say that you loved me,"

Jack's breath hitched. What was she going to say?

"And I want you to know…"

Jack braced himself. He really did it this time. He was going to lose her. For good. Forgiveness didn't automatically mean that they were back together! How much more of an idiot could he have been?! She was going to let him down, nice and gentle, in a classic Hiccup style, and then she would ask him to leave, and wouldn't want to see him again because it would be too awkward. For the first time in his existence that he could remember, Jack started to sweat.

"...That I love you, too,"

Before Jack could fully understand what she said, Hiccup was kissing him. And, of course, when the girl you love kisses you, you kiss back. And that's what Jack did. He grabbed the back of her neck and the small of her back to pull her closer to him. Hiccup shyly ran her hands through his hair and Jack moaned. Jack was pretty sure that neither of them had any intention of stopping there. But Toothless was there, and he had a completely different idea of what was going to go down.

Toothless let out a low growl, and Jack and Hiccup pulled away from each other. Jack looked down and breathed,

"Wow,"

Hiccup laughed, and Jack's chest warmed. He hugged her close to himself and the two just stayed like that for a minute. Jack couldn't believe it. It was like his mind was playing a trick on him, but Jack didn't care if he was sent to an insane asylum for this delusion. If all hallucinations were like this, then Jack would have gone crazy decades ago. But maybe he did go crazy, a year ago. Crazy for Hiccup.

Before Jack could laugh at himself for sounding so lame in his own head, Hiccup's stomach rumbled. They both laughed a little, and Jack accompanied Hiccup on her trek to her village. And it made Jack so indescribably ecstatic that he could be with Hiccup on her way there without having to be one hundred feet in the air. It wasn't just him and Hiccup. Gods forbid Toothless let them alone for even five minutes. No. Hiccup was in the middle of their little group, Toothless on her left, and Jack on her right. They walked in silence, but Jack could understand everything he needed to from the way her heart beat faster with his hand in her own.

A couple of feet from the Mead Hall, a burly girl stepped unsurely in front of Hiccup. Jack thought that the bright red braids down her back looked familiar. After a second of thought, he realized that it was Fishgut, Fishleg's cousin. While Fishlegs was nice enough, Fishguts had been one of Hiccup's main bullies. She was the one who got Hiccup in trouble with Dizzlebeard, or whatever his name was. Jack was so happy that Hiccup was just Hiccup and not... Blubberbutt, or something equally as stupid.

Before Jack could step in front of Hiccup and probably freeze the Ingerman, Hiccup smiled politely and asked if Fishguts needed anything.

"I-I think so,"

"Oh. Well, I'm not going to be in the forge until-"

"No," Fishguts interrupted. It occurred to Jack that Hiccup probably got interrupted a lot. He made a goal to not do that to her anymore. Or, at least to try. "I need… what I need can't be made,"

"Well, what do you need?" Hiccup questioned. Fishguts looked down and her cheeks reddened.

"F-forgiveness. From you. I'm really sorry for all those years,"

_Years, _Jack wondered.

"I know you won't be able to just… let it all go right away. All those hits, the humiliation,"

_Hits,_ Jack thought angrily. He ground his teeth and started to step forward, but Toothless stopped him by acting like there was a fly there which needed to be swatted away. Jack got smacked upside the head with Toothless's gear-laden tail, and Jack bit back a curse while rubbing his sore skull. Jack glared at Toothless for a moment before turning back to Hiccup and Fishguts's conversation.

"So…" Fishguts closed her eyes and turned her face to the left.

"Uhh…" Hiccup wondered, and Toothless warbled next to her.

"Hit me," Fishlegs practically commanded. "I know it won't make up for everything, but it'll be a start,"

Hiccup moved closer, and Jack wondered if she was actually going to do it. Hiccup raised one of her arms and wrapped it around Fishguts's neck.

"Hiccup…" Jack started to warn.

Hiccup ignored him and pulled Fishguts closer. Fishlegs stiffened at the initial contact, but soon melted into the hug.

"It's alright," Hiccup mumbled softly. "That's all behind us now,"

Fishguts hugged Hiccup again, and Jack leaned against the Mead Halls' wall. He scoffed unbelievingly. Here she was, tiny little Hiccup. The same Hiccup who had been bullied and alone for most of her life, and now she was suddenly the star of Berk. People were going up to her, _asking_ her to hit them. And what did she do? She forgave them with a nice, warm hug. And with Jack, back in the cove. He hurt her. He had made her feel unwanted and naive, and all those other things which she wasn't. But still, she forgave him. Hel, she _loved _him.

Of all the Vikings in Berk, Hiccup was the only one who didn't hold grudges. The only one who was ready to forgive before her offender was ready to apologize. She was one of a kind. And she was all Jack's.

**Two more chapters! I hope it's not boring anyone, but even if it is, there's only two more chapters, so if you could read them, that'd be great! There's really not much to say here... Last chapter will be cute, though. Next chapter... more sad and serious. I was thinking of writing a one-shot of this pairing, but I can't think of any ideas, so if anyone could send me a quick prompt, that'd be great. Thanks for the reads, reviews, follows, favorites :)**


	10. She Was Stupid

**She was…Stupid**

Jack woke up to an unwanted massage. He would have been fine with it if Hiccup had been the one who was giving it to him, but Hiccup was sitting upright next to him, looking worriedly in the direction of Berk. It took Jack a second to realize that the 'massage' was actually a strong tremble in the earth, like an earthquake.

"Did you feel that?" Hiccup asked, sounding like she wished Jack would laugh and tell her to go back to sleep. But Jack never lied to Hiccup.

"What was it?" he asked her, hoping it was just another weird, obnoxious Viking tradition. More than anything, Jack wanted to lie down on the hard ground again with Hiccup resting her head on his chest. It wasn't the most comfortable position for him, but Hiccup cuddled him, and she was so close, and Jack definitely loved that.

Before he had been woken by the trembling on the ground, Jack had been asleep, and Jack assumed that Hiccup had been, too. The two of them had been talking quietly in each others' ears and gazing at the stars in a peaceful tranquility. Nothing had been wrong last night. Hiccup had just accepted Jack back, and had even confessed that she loved him , at Jack's insistence, Hiccup had convinced Toothless to let her and Jack have a night alone. It had been the first day of spring, a day for new beginnings, a day for Jack to allow hope for a future with Hiccup. And it had been perfect. Jack should have known that it was the calm before the storm.

"I don't know. I was- I was sleeping," Hiccup blushed, and Jack had to almost physically restrain himself from laughing and pulling her into a kiss. But she was talking, and Jack didn't want to interrupt her ever again. "But then I felt all the trembling, and that- that _smell,_" Hiccup took a deep breath, and Jack breathed in the scent as well.

"Soot?" Jack asked, confused. This smell had helped to wake Hiccup? Why?

"It smells just like back when the dragons used to raid us," Hiccup looked to the sky, her face hardening. "I need to see what's happening, Jack," Hiccup stood up and started on her way to her tribe. Jack stood up and flew to her side in an instant.

"I know you think do," he told her. "But you _don't_, Hiccup," he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "Please. Just jump onto Toothless and fly away with him. Keep him safe. Keep yourself safe," At the unconvinced look on her face, Jack plowed on. "Hiccup, please. We don't know if whatever's in your village is dangerous or not. Hiccup, I can't lose you,"

There was no limit to how much he would beg for Hiccup. He would drop to his knees and kiss her feet, give up his powers, stop bugging the stupid Easter kangaroo for eternity. He would do anything if it meant that she would agree to get to safety with her dragon. Even if they wouldn't admit it, the dragon had grown on Jack, and Jack was sure that Toothless had a small soft spot for him, too. Small enough to fit inside one of his midnight scales, but still, a small soft spot was better than none.

"No, Jack. I can't. These are my people. I have to make sure that they're safe,"

Hiccup had never looked so much like a chief than she did right then. Jack watched her form for a moment as she walked away through the forest before following her. After all, a chief could only be a chief if someone followed them. And Jack was always prepared to follow Hiccup.

Hiccup started running back to her village as soon as Jack was by her side again. Halfway between the cove and Berk, Toothless ran up to the two of them. Jack knew something was seriously wrong since Toothless didn't even growl at him. Not even a little bit.

Toothless roared a couple of times, and Hiccup nodded. Jack never understood Toothless's roars, but Hiccup always did. This time, though, by the worried expression on Toothless's face, and the way his roars sounded so desperate, Jack thought he understood what Toothless was saying. Hiccup jumped onto Toothless's back, and Jack couldn't push down the hope he had that Toothless had convinced Hiccup to fly away. Jack felt his heart soar, and his worried disappear like smoke.

But, Hiccup always liked doing the unexpected. And most of the time, those unexpected things led to Jack almost having a heart attack. That time was no different.

Hiccup clicked into Toothless's riding gear, and they flew back to the village. Jack could tell for certain by then that it was on fire. There was a halo of dangerous red light surrounding the trees in Berk's direction, and there was a burning smell coming from Berk's general direction. The village was burning. He wasn't exactly sure how, and he wasn't exactly sure why, but he didn't exactly care. Hiccup was there, and Jack would rather go to Hel than let her go save her village on her own, especially as he was a winter spirit, and could help her a lot.

By the time Jack got to the burning village, Hiccup had already started saving some of the people stuck in the burning houses. Jack felt a ripple of worry resonate through him. Toothless was fireproof, but the tail Hiccup made for him was not. They were flying so close to the fires that Jack was sure the artificial appendage wouldn't last the night. And at the height Hiccup was at, if she fell, she would definitely break something more than her pride of being the best rider in Berk.

A roar sounded, and Jack whipped his head up. All the dragons were flying away, towards the beach. There was a slim ship there, with several large men there, yelling and scrambling to get back into the boat. Jack didn't watch as the dragons basically waged war against those poor souls. He had a job to do.

Jack took a deep breath and looked around quickly before starting to freeze the fire in the largest house. The sooner the village was safe, the sooner Hiccup would get out of there and stop breathing in the harmful smoke, and the sooner she was out of danger of burning alive.

He wasn't sure how long he worked, but Jack kept at it. He froze one fire after another after another after another until he was sweating, a completely foreign experience for the winter spirit. Fire after fire, Jack worked on. Until he heard her scream.

_Hiccup, _was the only thought flying through his mind. _Hiccup. Get Hiccup! She's in danger! Get her to safety!_

Jack stopped everything he was doing and ran to find her.

"Hiccup?" he paused, trying to find her. "Hiccup!" he called out louder. When no response came, Jack decided to fly up and scan the tribe until he found her, but that was unnecessary. Toothless roared, and Jack was whisked to the dragon and his rider in an instant by his winds.

She was lying down in the ground, Toothless curled protectively around her. His tail was so well hidden that Jack almost missed the charred bit of metal that clung to his tail. That was all left of Toothless's prosthetic. Jack moved closer to Hiccup, and bile started to rise in his throat. Her leg was trapped under a burning log. And it wasn't her prosthetic leg. Jack felt tears stinging his eyes, and the pain in his chest told him it wasn't because of the smoke in the air.

Hiccup screamed again, and Jack rushed closer, barely concealing his gag. Her hair looked slightly burnt, her clothes were smoldering, and all the visible parts of her body were covered in a layer of ash and despair. But that wasn't the worst part. Her leg… it was being roasted. He could smell her flesh burning, hear her skin burning, see the way the ripped cloth of her leggings peeled away to reveal her leg, black and red from the burns. Jack tried to smile but just ended up letting a tear fall down his cheek. Hiccup was being cooked while she was still alive.

Jack choked down his horror and started to move the log with Toothless's help. The gentle reptile whined in pain as Hiccup screamed in agony, but Jack knew that he had to get the log off of her. He struggled a little, and finally, with Toothless's help, he managed to push it off her.

The two moved back to Hiccup's side, but she was unnaturally still, and her lips were cracked. Hiccup's normally bright and lively emerald eyes were beginning to dim.

"No," Jack whispered, though he doubted Hiccup could hear him over the roars of the fires that still raged throughout the village. Many other screams littered the air, but Jack redirected his wind so that they wouldn't reach Hiccup's ears.

"Jack," Hiccup gasped, and Jack smiled unsteadily down at her.

"Hey, Hic," he swallowed. "But don't worry. Me and Toothless'll get you to safety. Just hold on for a little longer, alright? Just a little bit longer, babe," Jack tried to keep the desperation from seeping into his voice. Jack doubted he did a very good job.

"Jack," Hiccup said as firmly as she could in her wavering voice. "We both know that won't happen,"

"Hiccup," Jack tried to chuckle, but it ended up more like a sob. "What are you-"

"I'm dying, Jack," Hiccup said, as if he didn't know. But she couldn't! He just got her back! Why did she have to die? "Just promise me something," she whispered.

"Anything," Jack sniffled. "Anything, anything. Just name it,"

Hiccup took a shuttering breath and she closed her eyes. She didn't say anything for a couple of moments, and Jack felt his heart stop. No! Not now! Not yet!

"Jack," Hiccup rasped, and Jack's heart thudded in his chest. he clutched her hand to his chest. Not yet. She was still there. Jack's bright blue eyes scanned every detail of her face. Every detail of her beautiful, beautiful face. Her large eyes, and her straight nose, and the dozens of freckles which splattered on her face like droplets of water. Her smoldering hair, her dried lips which concealed her slightly crooked front teeth, and her burned neck. She was perfect.

"Get Toothless to safety. Then forget about me. Be happy. Promise me?"

Toothless snorted, as if offended, and for the first time, Jack _knew_ he knew what the lizard was saying.

"That's your dying wish?" Jack asked softly. She tried to nod her head, but Jack stopped her by running his hand through her hair. He leaned forward and hugged her softly, inhaling the smoke and burnt wood scents which were embedded in her hair. "I'm sorry Hiccup, but you know we can't do that," he breathed into her ear.

Jack stayed in that position, long after his back started to ache, and his body was dying to get out of the firepit Berk had become. Toothless stayed wrapped around the couple, standing guard over them, making sure he was the only one to get hit when pieces of debris fell by them. Jack and Toothless stayed with Hiccup until the dawn started to show its golden light, and Hiccup took her last breath. And so, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, last in line for the throne to Berk, died. She was surrounded by her two favorite people in the world: Jack and Toothless. Both of whom weren't even human beings.

Toothless let out a soul-piercing whine, and Jack reached out to pet him on the head. But when Jack touched the dragon's scaly head, he found it cold. Careful of Hiccup's body, Jack quickly made his way to the dragon. He was dead. Jack looked over the giant creature, surprised at the amount of damage on him. There was one large piece of stone by Toothless's head, and Jack knew. Toothless and Hiccup had lived together, and so, they were to die together.

Jack looked back at Hiccup's body for a second before his willpower crumbled. He lay down next to her, not caring about the fires surrounding them, and held her close to him. Why her? Why Hiccup? She was so lonely, and shy, and determined, and brave, and strong, and a little oblivious, but she was forgiving. And for such a brilliant Viking, she was plenty stupid. But that was why Jack loved her. Because she was all those things and more. She was imperfect, but there was not one thing Jack would change about her, except maybe the status of her health. Jack sobbed over her broken body.

She had passed on to the Valkyries before he had even realized it. He wasn't nearly ready to let go, but she was gone. And there was nothing anyone had done, or could do, to change that.

* * *

"I thought we would be together forever. Or, at least until she was old and died peacefully in her sleep on a warm summer night." Jack admitted to his fellow Guardians. He refused to look up in case they saw his red eyes. The memory of Hiccup, plus this- telling them about her, like he was letting her go- was too much for Jack to handle with a smile. Hiccup could have been able to do it. But Jack was no Viking, and he was certainly no Hiccup.

"But I forgot something," he continued bitterly. "Hiccup was a Viking. Vikings don't live long enough for 'happily ever after's."

**So...? I liked it, I think it makes sense with why Jack wouldn't want to be a Guardian later, because he saw his girlfriend, technically a minor, and therefore I guess a child, being killed in a terrible, horrific way. I don't know, I thought it worked. One more chapter, which sucks, because then this story will have eleven chapters, and I so wanted it to have ten, but every time I looked back to see which chapter I should take out, I couldn't decide. Any ideas? Which chapter does this story not need? Or should I keep them all and just live with the eleven chapters? Favorites, favorites, and reviews are awesome, like all my readers :)**


	11. She Was Never Gone For Good

**She was…Never Gone for Good**

Jack stood up abruptly and started moving briskly towards the door. Tooth blinked before she called out worriedly,

"Jack! Where are you going?"

"I'll be back later," Jack muttered before flying his way out of North's workshop. None of his fellow guardians followed him. They knew he needed his time, and honestly, they did, too. Who would have known that their happy-go-lucky friend had such a tragic story behind him? They watched the winter spirit fly away, and Bunny asked sarcastically,

"So, you think he's feeling better now?"

* * *

Jack sighed tiredly as he flew back to North's workshop. They were calling him with the lights, and Jack knew that he had to go, even if he just wanted to sit in the re-grown vegetation of Berk's island for a while longer. Just to remember.

_But_, Jack thought as he landed on the snowy ground, _maybe a week was enough_.

Maybe he should try to go back to the ways things used to be: with him mourning silently every spring, and the other guardians minding their own business. Somewhere deep inside, Jack knew that things could never go back to the way they were. But he could hope, couldn't he?

The second Jack stepped into the workshop, he was greeted by an overly excited Phil. It was weird seeing the mass of brown hair looking so... not unhappy. Jack glanced down into his hands to see what was making the thing so happy. The yeti was holding some type of weird machine, crafted from bits of wood and metal and leather. Jack's chest lurched. The design, the materials used… they looked so familiar. It didn't even take Jack a minute to figure out why the design felt so painfully nostalgic for him. He already knew. The machine looked exactly like the type of thing that Hiccup would invent.

Before Jack could wonder how Phil had managed to duplicate Hiccup's blacksmithing style so perfectly, he was spotted by North, who started to practically drag him to the main room.

"There is big news, Jack!" the large man beamed. "Manny has chosen new guardian. Not just one, but two!"

"Two?" Jack asked.

"Yes. Guardians," North paused, and Jack stopped to look at him, "Of friendship,"

Jack was about to ask how they already knew what they were the guardians of, and why they had showed up in the middle of North's workshop, and why he hadn't had the same luxury. Unfortunately for Jack, Bunny came over before the younger spirit had the chance to.

"You forgot to mention how incredibly _good-looking_ she is!" the rabbit practically yelled in Jack's face. Jack leaned away before asking incredulously,

"What the Hel, you stupid kangaroo?"

"If she leaves you," Bunny lowered his voice, and almost sounded like he was warning Jack, "Don't think I won't snatch her away."

Jack was about to ask more, but then Sandy came and slowly showed some pictures above his head. Jack wasn't exactly sure how, but he actually understood what Sandy was saying.

'Take it slow, Jack,' the mute guardian was implying. 'It's a lot to take in.'

By then, Jack was beyond frustrated. He broke out of the circle his fellow male guardians had made around him and stormed to the main room, wondering who was in danger, and why he was the only one who even seemed to care about that anymore. Maybe the new guardians _were_ the emergency he was called for. In that case, Jack wanted a look at them.

Jack strode into the large room, but was almost immediately hit by something small and strong, yet surprisingly soft and warm. He didn't know why, but he automatically wrapped his arms around it. At the feeling of the comfortable warmth against his chest, Jack couldn't help but to think that the thing that practically tackled him to the ground was meant to be in his arms.

"Jack," it breathed into his neck. _She _breathed. Jack froze, and his body became rigid. His arms loosened around the person in front of him for a second. Then it dawned on him who exactly it was, and why this was such an emergency, especially for him. It was Hiccup. It was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!

Jack pulled her closer to him, and pressed her tightly against himself. He was never going to let her go again. Jack smiled widely at the squeak the girl in his arms let out. He had been so certain that he was never going to get to hear that sound again. Jack was in such a good mood that he was certain nothing could get him down. When something growled lowly at him, Jack could only beam.

"Toothless!" he laughed at the old lizard.

"Toothless?!" Tooth cried from somewhere from the ceiling before zooming down from somewhere to check Toothless's face. Or, more specifically, his mouth.

The dragon backed up a little before grunting in confusion. Jack rested his cheek on Hiccup's hair before assuring Toothless that the tooth fairy did that to everyone.

Jack started running his hands through Hiccup's hair, which was no longer burnt, or full of ash. Honestly, even if it was, Jack wouldn't have cared. Hiccup was _there._ In his arms. He was never letting her go, no matter what.

Jack buried his face into her hair, bracing himself for the scents of smoke and fire and burning flesh, like the last time he had done the same action. Instead, he could only sense the fragrance of the earth and the forest. Jack closed his eyes, and it was like he was pulled back in time, before she died.

Hiccup was in his arms, and she smelled like the Berkian forest, with Toothless growling at them from a little ways away. All Jack wanted to do was to kiss her. But then, a small doubt started to creep into Jack. What if this was a dream? What if Hiccup was still dead? Or worse, what if this _was_ reality, but it wasn't Hiccup in his arms, and just another girl who felt and smelled and sounded exactly like his old girlfriend?

_Come on, Jack. _The winter spirit told himself. _You have to look, just to make sure. _

If Jack was right, and the girl in his arms wasn't Hiccup, then it would be better to know sooner rather than later. If he was wrong, and the girl was Hiccup...

Jack pulled a few millimeters away from the girl in front of him. It was just far enough away for him to look down at her face. Jack couldn't, even if he wanted to, stop the look of complete shock and love he adopted. He had been fairly confident a few seconds ago that the girl was Hiccup. But right then, looking down at her face, was the moment he knew that he had been right. It was Hiccup. And she was still breathtaking.

Jack lifted one of his hands and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before whispering quietly,

"You're just as beautiful as the day I lost you,"

Jack soaked in her face with thirsty eyes. She looked almost exactly the same as that night, so many countless springs ago. Her hair was pulled into a lose braid which twisted over her shoulder. Her green eyes were mesmerizing, and they drew Jack to her like a moth to a flame. Her face was splashed with freckles, and Jack just wanted to kiss each of them until Hiccup was blushing madly and yelling at him to stop.

Hiccup smiled up at him with tears in her eyes, making them shine with happiness and… _life._ She stood on her toes and slowly pressed her lips to his own. Jack's eyes widened at the electric shock that ran through his body, followed closely by the buzzing of warmth and happiness.

That was the first time, ever, Hiccup had initiated a kiss between the two of them. Jack pulled her closer and kissed her back, just as passionately. Deep in his pleasure-filled mind, Jack found himself thinking that life wasn't going to be nearly as lonely anymore. Because, while Hiccup had disappeared from his life for a while, she was always going to come back. Because they were soul-mates. They were meant to be together, and Jack would rather burn in Hel before Hiccup left him again. Yes, Hiccup was his and he was Hiccup's.

Jack pulled away, breathing heavily, before looking straight into Hiccup's eyes and resting his forehead on her own. He had thought that he and Hiccup wouldn't ahve a happy ending. But he forgot something. Hiccup was no ordinary Viking.

Jack smiled as he kissed Hiccup again, while picking her up and swirling her around. Jack was sure of it. They were going to live happily ever after.

The End

**There it is! Finished! Kind of... I'm still annoyed about the eleven chapters. I won't be marking this story as finished yet, because I might add another chapter. Tell me what you think of a chapter: "She Was... Not What They Imagined" about Hiccup and Toothless showing up at the workshop while Jack is away, and the guardians's reactions to the strange girl, her dragon, and the fact that someone so beautiful, smart, and kind, was the love of Jack's life. If it's not a good idea, I'll end the story here, but I want some feedback before I make a choice. I love all the favorites, follows, and reviews I got for this story, thanks a lot, y'all :)**


	12. Extra: She Was Not What They Expected

**She was…Not What They Imagined**

Hiccup woke with a start to the sound of a shout. Heart pounding, Hiccup's eyes snapped opened. At first her eyesight was blurry, but she could make out three basic shapes. One of them was dark and lithe. It was probably Toothless. Hiccup's heart warmed at the thought of him. No matter where they were, Hiccup knew she could get through anything with him at her side. The other figures were a bit more confusing. One was mostly white and red, and the other was all brown.

Hiccup blinked a few more times, and eventually she could clearly see what was happening. Hiccup was, once again, being saved by her scaly best friend. But this time, instead of being in danger of dangerous Outcasts or rogue dragons, Toothless was protecting her from… she actually wasn't too sure.

One man was in a red shirt with dark gray pants. His massive size, broad shoulders, and tangled beard might have been intimidating to most people, but they were only comforting to Hiccup. She had grown up with men like him. Honestly, he and Toothless were the most comforting things around her. The man's eyes were as piercing as the two swords in his hands, but even those only served to put Hiccup at ease. The man had a striking similarity to Hiccup's own father, who was rarely (if ever) seen without a weapon, and Hiccup had to push down the urge to pull the large, most likely dangerous man into a hug.

The other figure wasn't even a man. Hiccup stared at the furry creature with long ears for a few seconds before a memory came to mind. A few months ago, before Jack and her were a couple, he had let out a few frustrations about the most obnoxious spirit he had ever met. He had mostly just called it a large kangaroo, but had also called it something else… the Easter bunny? But it couldn't be this bunny, could it? Then again, Hiccup reasoned with herself, how many large, walking, boomerang handling rabbits could there be in the world?

"She's alive!" the maybe Easter called out, and Hiccup blinked.

_Alive? _she thought. The last thing she remembered was dying in her burning village, looking straight at Jack's face, while hearing Toothless's pained whines off to her side.

"Then we get her out," the large man stated, moving closer to Hiccup and Toothless, raising his sword threateningly. The kanga- the Easter bunny followed suit, raising his boomerangs. Toothless tensed, and Hiccup knew where this confrontation was going. The large man raised his arm, and Toothless crouched closer to Hiccup, shielding her body with his own.

Hiccup abruptly stood up, ignoring the bright spots which danced in her eyes, and jumped over Toothless. She placed most of her weight onto Toothless's side, closing his mouth, while holding up a vulnerable hand to the two threats on the opposite side of the room. Hiccup's head throbbed, but she couldn't let them hurt Toothless. She wished Jack was with her. He would have frozen them where they were standing while the three of them escaped.

But Jack wasn't there. Wherever _there_ was. And yet still, Hiccup wasn't alone. The vibrations she felt while Toothless growled in warning were a testament to that.

"No!" She cried, "Don't!"

Hiccup could see them moving closer, and Hiccup prepared herself to jump onto Toothless and escape. She looked around wildly, searching for a way to get out. She tried to ignore the hundreds of questions bursting through her head:

Where was she? Why wasn't she in Berk anymore? If this _was _Berk, then where was everyone? And who were the men in front of her? And the building, where were all the torches? Hiccup couldn't see any. So, how could the building be so bright without any fire? And what about the walls? They clearly weren't made of wood, so what material was used to construct them?

Hiccup shook her head free of any thought other than how to escape the strange room she was in. There was a set of stairs directly in front of Hiccup, but the two men were blocking her path there. She could jump on Toothless and go over them... but then what? She didn't know the building. What if it was a labyrinth? Hiccup turned her gaze upwards and happened to see a window on the ceiling. Hiccup wasn't sure exactly why, but she felt pulled to look at the at the moon.

She and Jack used to do that a lot. Whenever either of them had a rough day, or just wanted to be alone, they would go to the cove and stare at the sky. He had told her once that it was the moon which told him his name. Just his name, nothing else. He had been alone ever since then, knowing nothing but a label used for others to identify him as, while no one could possibly see or speak to him. Jack had said that at his level of solitude, a name was more like a sick joke than anything else. She remembered telling him that he wasn't alone anymore. Jack had looked into her eyes, and she had felt herself captivated by his icy blue eyes- so cold, yet so warm. He had kissed her, and they had stayed in the cove until the next morning.

That night had been one of the best of her life. She had felt so happy and light-hearted. Looking at the moon now, Hiccup felt that same way. Hiccup looked down at her side when Toothless warbled in happiness. He, too, was looking at the moon. Even though he looked so carefree, Hiccup could see his teeth shining in his mouth. Toothless usually retracted his teeth when he felt completely safe and comfortable. The fact that his teeth were bared brought the large man and the Easter kanga- bunny back to mind.

She looked back at them, but they were relaxed now. In fact, they were so relaxed that the bunny was even looking her over. Hiccup blushed. To the best of her memory, only Jack had ever looked at her like that.

_Guardians of friendship,_ a comforting old voice told Hiccup. The Viking blinked, and Toothless snorted before stiffening and looking around, alert. By the other people's unchanged expressions, Hiccup figured that only she and Toothless had heard the announcement.

But, why? Hiccup couldn't help but to wonder. Toothless stopped looking at ground level, and stilled for a second before looking back up to the moon. Yes, the moon felt powerful, but Hiccup was pretty sure that the moon didn't speak. At least, not to ordinary creatures like her and Toothless. Jack had been a winter spirit. Still, Hiccup couldn't help but to wonder...

"What does that mean?" She wondered aloud. _Guardians of friendship? _Toothless snorted, obviously confused as well.

The large man in red started laughing and made his way to Hiccup and Toothless. With his swords sheathed, even Toothless found him a sense of familiarity. He hummed approvingly before hesitantly loosening his hold around Hiccup. The man looked warily at Toothless for a moment before smiling again and turning to Hiccup.

"Haha!" he exclaimed, thumping Hiccup soundly on the back. Hiccup could only smile back at the familiar action. From across the room, the bunny seemed to choke. Hiccup looked over at him, and saw him briefly have his eyes bugging out, with his jaw practically hanging down to his toes. But then, he noticed her staring and composed himself.

"What's going on?" Hiccup voiced the question which was no doubt on both her and Toothless's minds.

"You are guardian!" the large man, before continuing. "You join our group, young spirit,"

_Spirit?_ Hiccup wondered. _Like Jack?_

"Yeah," the bunny said casually as he flopped onto a couch in the room. "We basically go around the world, saving kids, and beating bad guys." His whole casual-guy act was ruined when he looked over at Hiccup expectantly, like he thought she would start gushing over how cool that sounded, and how cool the rabbit was for doing that for life.

Toothless shuffled his shoulders unhappily, and Hiccup scratched the spot in between his wings, under his saddle. She knew that Toothless was thinking the same thing she was. _Oh gods, not again._

The large man, who later introduced himself as North, told her most of the responsibilities and specifics of guardianship. But before Hiccup could ask any questions, or could be asked any questions, a little creature ran into the room.

"Oh, yes," North looked at the little thing before sneaking a glance at Hiccup. At her fascinated look, he said, "Is elf. The big furry ones are yetis,"

The little elf kept yelling, trying to gain North's attention, and when North finally gave it to the little elf, he seemed to curse in the same language which one of Hiccup's best friends spoke. Hiccup blinked at how expletive the old man could be.

North stomped through his workshop, Toothless and Hiccup close on his heels, with the bunny bringing up the rear.

A large hairy creature was standing by an open hatch in a strange metal machine. Hiccup had never seen such a machine, and felt her fingertips tingling, wanting to get inside one, just to see what was in it, and how it worked.

"Phil!" North yelled at the poor bearded thing.

_Oh,_ Hiccup realized. _It's a yeti. _

"Don't worry about it, babe," the Easter bunny said as he grabbed Hiccup by the waist and pulled her closer to him. "This type of thing happens all the time,"

He must have mistaken her look of anticipation with one of anxiety. Before Hiccup could say anything, Toothless growled lowly, actually showing the bunny his teeth.

Hiccup felt her heart warm. She knew Toothless like Jack. While he had growled at him a lot, Hiccup hadn't missed the ways Toothless had helped Jack out, like helping him choose a gift for her for their two month anniversary. Nor had she missed the way that Toothless gently lifted and carried Jack out of the cove and into her house when Jack fell asleep out there before Hiccup. Now she just had to get Toothless to admit it.

"What's wrong?" Hiccup asked.

"Machine is supposed to move line forward, but little elf messed with something, and now will not work,"

"I can try to help you with that, if you want," Hiccup offered. North, who had been hunched over the small panel, came out and let out a deep breath. He swept a hand from Hiccup to the hatch, inviting her to try.

Hiccup stepped out of the bunny's unwanted embrace and moved forward to examine the machinery in the hatch.

She had never seen anything like it before, but Hiccup figured that it was all basically math and physics, both of which she was extremely proficient in. Honestly, how different could this be from anything on Berk?

Hiccup reached in the panel with her hand, but she felt something bump against her leg, and a couple of bits of metal clanked together. Hiccup looked down at the elf. It was straining to hold a red box in its arms, but offered the tools it contained to Hiccup with a smile. Hiccup glanced inside of it and picked out the tools which looked helpful. Then she started tinkering inside the hatch again.

While she worked, she remembered the days in summer when Jack couldn't be in the shop with her to keep her cool from the sweltering fires in the forge. She smiled slightly as she tightened a screw. Something crackled, and Hiccup dodged a flying spark.

Jack always said that he loved watching her work because she would get some sort of a focused look on her face. She would always roll her eyes and respond with something sarcastic, and Jack would laugh. That was something Hiccup really loved about Jack- he got her sense of humor, and he encouraged her inventions and strange habits. He truly accepted her for who she was.

Hiccup stepped away after about fifteen minutes and blew some hair out of her face. It fell back over her eyes, and she grew irritated with the knowledge that it was going to keep sweeping into her face until she redid her braids. To North, and everyone else in the room, Hiccup said,

"That should do it,"

The large man pulled down a lever a couple of feet away as Hiccup gave the tools she had used back to the elf, who was still holding the box in trembling arms. Hiccup smiled at it and laughed softly before picking up the box with ease and placing it on a work station next to her.

A whirring noise started, and Hiccup looked back at the line she had been trying to fix. It was actually working! Hiccup walked to the moving black belt and touched in with fascination. What was it for? She looked further down the line and saw a number of yetis working on multiple toys at the same time, creating so many more toys in such a short amount of time. An odd elf here or there was ignored by the apparently gentle giants, and Hiccup couldn't help the smile which grew on her face.

The entire workshop was filled with such wonder that Hiccup couldn't help but feel her fingertips start to tingle again. She just wanted get her hands on a block of wood and few pieces of metal and create something. So inspired was she that she actually forgot all of her questions about the brightness of the rooms, or the power source for all of the machines in the room, or what the rooms were made of, or about the lack of fire and torches in all the rooms and halls. All that was on her mind was making something, something whimsical and fun, like everything she could see in the workshop.

"Great. You fixed the assembly line," the bunny said while casually leaning on a wall. "Now, tell us who you are, Gorgeous,"

"Well," Hiccup said before Toothless could start hissing, "I guess we're the guardians of friendship,"

The bunny and North looked at each other, having a silent conversation, Hiccup assumed, before nodding.

"We'll be right back, babe," the Easter bunny said. Toothless growled at him unhappily, but Hiccup placed a hand on his head. They would find Jack soon, and the bunny would stop staying things like that, and Toothless would go back to only acting angry at Jack.

"Yes. We must tell others of you and your center," the guardian of wonder said while pulling on a red coat. "Well," North paused for a second, "We will tell two others. You will meet guardian of fun later," he decided.

The bunny nodded. "Yeah. He's had a rough week,"

"Why?" Hiccup wondered.

"He told us of his girlfriend," North said, "She died long ago,"

"Oh," Hiccup said softly. "I'm sorry,"

"Yeah," the bunny said, "It was weird seeing him so down. He's usually so lively and annoying. He went back to her old island about a week ago. We would introduce you to him, but he's better off alone for a while. I doubt even a hottie like you would bring his spirits up right now,"

"Yes. Little buddy is sad," North said, "We will give him space,"

Then North got on his sled, and the bunny tapped his foot on the ground twice, where a hole appeared. Before Hiccup could even blink, the two of them were gone, and Hiccup was left alone in the fantastic workshop.

She grinned down at Toothless.

"You thinking what I'm thinking, Bud?" She asked. Toothless grinned, showing off his pink gums, and scampered off.

Hiccup had a different mission. She weaved through all the elves and yetis in the workshop before she came across a couple of pieces of wood and a few scraps of metal. There wasn't much, but as Hiccup held the materials in her hands, she smiled at it in happiness. There was enough. Whatever she made couldn't be very big, but it would be beautiful, and it would work flawlessly.

She made her way to the only yeti she knew, Phil, and sat next to him. She tried to stay off of his work station as much as possible, but she soon found out that Phil didn't mind her being there. Even while he was working on his own project of painting a lot of blue figures red, he would hand her nails and L-brackets when she needed them. He had already given her a hammer earlier, and a sander. He had pointed out a patch of rough wood which Hiccup had forgotten to smooth out. If Jack had been there, he would have laughed that the 'Forge-Master Hiccup' had forgotten something so basic. Hiccup knew that she would see Jack again, soon. She would just have to be patient.

But for once, Hiccup found patience to be very difficult for her. Jack did that to her. He let her be completely herself, and let loose. When she was around him, she found herself letting down her walls. All those Viking customs, and all those traditional manners she had to practice as the heir to the chief of the tribe were gone from her mind. She could sit how she through comfortable, laugh as loud as she wished, say whatever she wanted. She and Jack were opposites, but they needed each other to feel complete. If she was a rock, she was the sky, and if he was ice, then she was fire.

Toothless had gotten the leather he had set out to find by the time Hiccup had finished the base. He started sounding like he was choking, and Phil looked concerned. Hiccup shook her head and cleared a large section of the table for him to spit it onto. The pieces of leather were a little slimy, but Hiccup could work with them.

Hiccup picked one up and smiled as she looked up to Phil. The yeti looked absolutely disgusted. He made a couple of sounds of protest while he motioned towards his table. Hiccup laughed and reassured him that she would wash it out for him before she continued working.

* * *

When she had finished, Hiccup was holding a small box. When the leather cord which wrapped around the mechanism inside round platform on top of the base was pulled, the dragon on top of it all would start to flap its wings. The wings would keep flapping, faster and faster, until it took off flying. Hiccup tied another cord of leather to one of the dragon's legs, and anchored it to the base of the toy, so the dragon would never get lost.

To make sure it worked, Hiccup had Phil try it. He did, and he looked at the invention in his hands with awe before he shifted the look to Hiccup. Hiccup just shrugged modestly and then started cleaning up her temporary section of Phil's work station. When Phil reluctantly handed the toy back to Hiccup, she asked,

"What do I do with it now?"

Phil mumbled a few things as he picked up one of the toys he had been working on. He led Hiccup to a wrapping station, where he taught her how to cover her toy with the colorful paper. Hiccup saw the longing look in the yeti's face as he looked at the toy Hiccup had made. So, she presented it to the sweetheart in front of her. He looked so happy that, for a moment, Hiccup completely forgot about how much she wished that Jack was next to her, smelling like pine trees and a crisp winter morning. But, it was only a moment.

"Ah, there you are," North boomed as he walked down the hall. "They are waiting for you. Come,"

And so, Hiccup was led back to the big room she had woken up in, Toothless trotting quickly behind her.

"So, there she is," the bunny said.

"Oh, wow!" a blur of green and blue zoomed over to Hiccup and stopped just before it crashed into her. "Finally!" the pretty bird-woman said. "Another girl! Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?"

"Well-" Hiccup was about to break it to the woman that Toothless was also a guardian, and that he was a male, but the woman continued talking at a break-neck pace.

"Oh! How rude of me!" the woman face palmed. "My name is Toothiana. But you can just call me Tooth,"

Toothless blinked, and Hiccup quirked her lips into a little smile. That might get a little confusing after a while.

"And that's the sandman," Toothiana kept talking. She was gesturing to a little, round, golden man. "You can call him Sandy," Then Toothiana hovered next to North and the Easter bunny. "And of course you know North and Bunnymund,"

"Bunnymund?" Hiccup asked. What a strange name. But, it was by no means the worst name Hiccup had heard. Not by a long-shot.

"But you can call me Bunny," Bunny clarified. Toothless chortled. Hiccup couldn't help but think the same thing: Bunny wasn't all that much better than Bunnymund.

Hiccup looked back at Sandy, and saw Jack's face above his head, only it was made out of golden sand. Hiccup blinked in surprise. How had Sandy known that Hiccup was waiting fora chance to find him? She looked down at the little man's face, looking for a sign of what he was thinking. He was shaking his head, with his eyes sadly pointed at the ground.

Hiccup felt her world slip out from under her feet, and her knees buckled. She was about to fall to ground, but Toothless caught her. Hiccup couldn't wrap her mind around it. Was Jack dead? That seemed to be what Sandy was saying. But that was impossible.

Jack was immortal. He couldn't die. Jack had told her a couple of weeks after they had started dating, and he had seemed so bitter and angry about it. Hiccup vividly remembered because it was such a scary sight, seeing Jack anything other than happy and funny. It had been such a humbling experience, seeing Jack talk about his eternity of solitude. From that moment on, Hiccup had made it her goal to make Jack happy, and to stop thinking her own life was as miserable as she had always thought. Sure, everyone ignored her, but Jack couldn't even be _seen_ by others. Hiccup wondered if Jack had been happy as he died, or if he was in a lot of pain.

Toothless moved his snout closer to her face and lightly licked her face while warbling softly. Hiccup absentmindedly stroked his scales, thinking about Jack, and everything she loved about him.

She pictured his handsome face, with his unruly hair, and his intense eyes. She tried to remember the feeling of his strong arms around her, and his calloused hands brushing dirt or hair away from her face before he pressed his burning cold lips onto hers. They had always been so soft, like the freshly fallen snow. She remembered how nice he always was, and how patient and funny he always was. She thought of the way his voice caused little trembles in the bottom of her stomach. And for some reason, all those memories only hurt Hiccup more.

Hiccup sniffled a little at the idea that she might never be able hear him laugh again, or feel his arms around her, or his lips on hers. A tear escaped her eye as she sniffled. Toothless licked it away, and Hiccup swallowed thickly. She would never see Jack openly admit how much he actually cared for Toothless, or see Toothless do the same.

"Hey, now, Sheila," Bunny said softly as he moved closer. "What's wrong?" he opened his arms, as if to hug her. The idea made Hiccup extremely uncomfortable, and Toothless knew that. He turned his large head towards Bunny, and Hiccup watched as he caught Bunny off guard with his haunting eyes and hissed.

Hiccup stayed still for a second, thinking of all the memories she had with Jack. Their first meeting, the first time they went swimming together, their first kiss, their last night together. Through it all, the one thing Jack had always said was that he loved her smile.

If he saw her at that moment, crying her eyes out, Hiccup didn't even know how he would react. So, Hiccup steeled herself and did what she normally did when she was sad: she smiled.

"How rude of me," Hiccup said, her voice still raw with emotion, despite the curve of supposed happiness on her face. "You've all introduced yourselves, but I haven't. My name is Hiccup-" Hiccup cut herself off. Everyone had frozen, and were now staring at her. It sent chills up her spine as she was reminded of that awful afternoon in the Nightmare's cage. Just to ensure herself that at least Toothless was alive, Hiccup wrapped her arms around his neck.

The workshop, which had previously been buzzing with the constant motion of yetis, elves, and machinery, was silent, as everyone stared at her and Toothless with a new light in their eyes.

"Hiccup… Horrendous Haddock?" Toothiana asked hesitantly.

"The Third?" Bunny said weakly. Hiccup frowned, and Toothless let out a confused noise.

"Have you heard of me?"

"You are her?" North sounded surprised. Then, he jumped into action. He practically ran across the room and pulled a lever. For some reason, that caused a band of beautiful colors to weave its way into the dark sky. Hiccup saw them shimmering in the skylight, but was more interested in the guardians in front of her, all of whom seemed to know who she was.

"But… you're…" Bunny was at a loss for words, so Toothiana tried to say her two cents.

"You're the chief of Berk's daughter?"

"Yes, that's me. But how do you know anything about me?" Hiccup wasn't at all sure how they all knew who she was, and she was even less sure why it was such a big deal, or such a surprise.

"So you and Jack-"

But Hiccup cut her off,

"You know Jack?" even Hiccup could hear the desperation in her own voice. "Please, tell me, how is he? He's alive, isn't he?"

All of the guardians exchanged uncomfortable glances, and Hiccup could practically feel her heart beating out of her chest. Toothless crooned gently and pressed his snout gently to her chest, as if trying to calm the overworked organ.

"Well, he is alive," Toothiana confirmed. Relief flooded through Hiccup's body, and she felt like she could float away from how much heavy stress was lifted from her body. Sandy flashed a number of pictures above his head, and Hiccup's head spun at how fast the images appeared and were replaced. She blinked after the assault of graphics, but then grew worried,

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

"You… you actually understood that?" Bunny asked incredulously. At Sandy's angry huff, the large rabbit apologized, "Sorry, Mate, but no one can understand you when you talk that fast,"

"Well, I just watched, and listened,"

"To unspoken words?" North asked. Hiccup blinked. Almost no one had heard of unspoken words. How did North know?

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Jack told us. He loves you, you know," Toothiana said.

"I love him, too," Hiccup looked at the away from Toothiana's eyes, blushing. She smiled slightly at the mere thought of Jack loving her.

"I can see why Jack loves her," Bunny said, looking at Toothiana, "But why does she love him?"

"Well?" Toothiana asked Hiccup expectantly. "Why do you?"

Hiccup blinked. Why did she love Jack? She didn't know the exact reason. She was pretty sure that love didn't work in reasonable ways. How was she supposed to explain that?

"I mean… I just do," She tried. "He's kind, and patient, and he makes me laugh,"

"But I'm kind and patient, and I can make you laugh," Bunny said. Hiccup wasn't so sure about the rabbit's sense of humor, but pursed her lips before saying,

"He understands me. He knows what it's like to be lonely, and he can make me feel so _not_ alone that I almost get overwhelmed. It's like he's an endless supply of water, and my heart's a bucket. He fills me up until I overflow," Hiccup elaborated.

"But can't a lot of people make you feel happy and un-lonely?" Toothiana asked. "Like your _dragon_?"

Hiccup frowned again. The guardians were being incredibly close-minded. She could feel herself getting frustrated.

"But… he's so constant, and he's always there, and he makes my world,"

"But Jack is not here now, no?" North voiced his opinion by the large golden sphere.

"Well, I guess not," Hiccup barely stopped herself from snapping. "I love him, though. He makes me feel like I'm special, and like I'm worth something. I don't know how to explain to you all, but I am in love with Jack Frost,"

"But why?" Toothiana asked.

"I mean, look at you!" Bunny exclaimed. "You could have any choice of men, but you chose _Jack?"_

_"_He did say you were beautiful," North supplied.

"But we didn't think he meant like... this gorgeous!" Toothiana blurted out. "Don't get us wrong, we love Jack like family... But I don't understand how someone so kind and beautiful and smart could possibly love Jack back,"

Hiccup looked at all of their faces and simply couldn't understand why they wouldn't just accept that she loved Jack. Hiccup loved getting to the bottom of things, and knowing why things happened the way they did, but even she knew that love didn't always have a reason. In fact, love was barely ever based on reason. Its unpredictability made love that much more valuable and precious.

Toothiana opened her mouth, and Hiccup knew that if she asked one more time _why_ Hiccup loved Jack, she would snap. But, something saved her. More like some_one_.

A door was opened at the front of the workshop, and Hiccup couldn't believe it. Even though there was no way she could see who it was, she knew. She hoped no one asked her how she knew, because she just _did._ There was no way to explain how she knew.

It was Jack. She was going to see him again. She would get to breathe in his scent, listen to his deep voice, press her lips to his own. Jack was coming, and Hiccup couldn't wait.

As much as Hiccup wanted to see Jack as soon as possible, she couldn't get herself to move. North walked briskly towards the front of the shop, followed closely by Bunny, and then Sandy. Toothiana just go so flustered looking that she, apparently, decided that flying around the ceiling would lower her stress level a little.

Hiccup stopped paying attention to Toothiana. That voice… Hiccup felt her heart beat faster. It was Jack, no doubt about it. He was so close, and yet, he was so far. Hiccup tried to force herself to move to him, but Hiccup's legs refused to listen to her, and stayed frozen to the ground.

Jack's eternally handsome face showed up at the top of the stairs which led to the room Hiccup was in, and she suddenly gained control over her mutinous body. Hiccup didn't even think before she launched herself at Jack, wanting to feel his body against hers as soon as possible.

She felt him stumble for a second before steadying himself and wrapping his arms around her. Hiccup felt her heart beat faster, and it almost felt like it was about to burst from how much happiness she was experiencing.

Hiccup melted into Jack's embrace and couldn't help but to think of who she was. She was now a spirit, apparently. Not just any spirit, but a guardian. One of the guardians of friendship. But, before that, she was a Viking. She had been the first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon. She had been the first Viking to ride one, too. And now, she'll be the first Viking to have a happily ever after.

* * *

**It's so long! So, this chapter was a whole lot more difficult than the rest of the story for a number of reasons. 1) the rest of the chapters I planned from the beginning. This one, I sort of had to wing it a couple of times before making this version of the chapter. 2) Jack's was an easy perspective, since he didn't really like Toothless, and he was used to everything around him, and his main interest was Hiccup. Hiccup's pov was difficult because I had to balance her love of Toothless with her love of Jack with her love of creating and inventing things, AND she was in this really cool, weird, new workshop, and things were completely disorienting for her. 3) I really wanted to get to the guardians' reactions to Hiccup being Jack's old girlfriend, but because I wanted the story to move along quickly, I feel like I kind of glossed over the guardians' reactions to having a DRAGON show up in the North Pole. 4) This chapter wasn't like the ones before it, where it was kind of just a fluffy one-shot between Hiccup and Jack where we know what you were going to read (her being shy, brave, etc). This one was about her being unexpected, which- surprisingly- doesn't give me a whole lot of direction as a writer. Actually, there's barely any Hiccup/Jack interaction in this chapter at all. 5) Since I wrote the other chapters without thinking I would be writing this chapter in, there were certain things which I HAD to add, even though they were confusing, and sort of annoying to add (the thing she made for Phil, Toothless's name never coming up), and delaying Hiccup introducing herself to everyone was difficult to effectively fit into the story. **

**Basically, I'm saying that this chapter was hard to write, and supportive comments would be appreciated so that I don't feel like crap for putting this chapter up. Favorites, follows, reviews, I love them all :)**


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